Physical therapist Mike Mulcahy knew the treatments, the stretches, the therapies. After all, he had managed a physical therapy clinic and treated neck and spine patients for more than 15 years.
But he didn’t know the pain. Not until he suffered a herniated cervical disc in his own neck.
At that moment, stepping over from caregiver to consumer, Mike gained a deeper appreciation for what his patients experience.
“You can’t fully understand nerve pain until you have it yourself. Suddenly, I was the one needing therapy.”
It was life-changing, says Mike, who is a senior physical therapist at Pure HealthyBack in Troy (purehealthyback.com/locations/troy).
“After persevering through that type of pain, I think I can identify better with what my patients are going through.”
He remembers the the medications, the struggle to keep working, sleeping in a recliner because stretching out in bed was too painful.
So, he turned to the same physical therapy regimen he offers to patients. It worked.
“I went in three times a week like my patients do, exercised at home and was able to avoid surgery. It taught me a lot about what it takes to be a patient, that’s for sure.”
It also reinforced the power of two techniques offered exclusively by Pure HealthyBack – MedX equipment and The McKenzie Method.
MedX – available in Michigan only at Pure HealthyBack – is the sole technology available for isolating body parts, testing specific muscle groups, and strengthening and rehabilitating the surrounding muscles, tendons and ligaments. The McKenzie Method is a comprehensive approach that emphasizes injury intervention and prevention, empowering patients with lifelong management skills.
Together, they are yielding incredible results at Pure HealthyBack.
“We get the best patient outcomes I’ve seen in my 30-year career," says Mike. "The McKenzie Method can reduce a patient’s pain from day one, and MedX is extremely effective in treating back pain. MedX isolates the deep spinal muscles by preventing movement in the pelvis and firing of the hip and leg muscles. This allows the spine to move smoothly and restore normal firing of the deep spinal stabilizers through a pain-free range of motion.”
In other words, MedX isolates the muscles needing conditioning to create a strong spine, so you can do the things you love.
Things like standing straight, walking pain-free – or growing your family.
Rachel Cynowa was trying to get through her pregnancy when she suffered a painful injury.
“Carrying my son really hurt my back. Suddenly, my legs were throbbing. I couldn’t do dishes or other chores. I would do a little bit, then have to rest. I told myself I couldn’t live like that.”
Fortunately, as operations manager at Pure HealthyBack, she knew exactly what to do – MedX – because she has guided countless patients toward the same therapy.
Using MedX, her physical therapist targeted the problem area. With McKenzie, she was given specific stretches to do in therapy and at home. “My eighth visit was the sweet spot. Suddenly, I didn’t have pain in my legs anymore. I still do the stretches at home and the pain has never returned.”
You know something works when people take their own medicine.
“We get a lot of patients who have been through physical therapy somewhere else and still have pain,” says Mike. “You might say that’s our specialty.”
Take your first step toward pain-free living by calling Rachel at (888) 396-2642.
“You can’t fully understand nerve pain until you have it yourself. Suddenly, I was the one needing therapy."
“We get a lot of patients who have been through physical therapy somewhere else and still have pain. You might say that’s our specialty.”
